BRACE Implementing Partners

BRACE Programme Policy & Fiscal Framework

The BRACE Programme

The Government of Balochistan (GoB) and the European Union (EU) designed and started implementing (2017 – 2022) the Balochistan Rural Development and Community Empowerment (BRACE) programme, to support the Government of Balochistan in reducing (rural) poverty in the province through a Community Development and Community Empowerment approach, to be framed in a Strategic Policy Framework, that clarifies and stimulates the complementary roles to be played by Local Government, the RSPs and the Development Partners (DP) engaged in Community-Development and Community-Empowerment (CD/CE) in Balochistan

The BRACE Implementing Partners (IP)

The EU-funded BRACE Programme mobilized five Implementing Partners (IPs);

IMPLEMENTATION PARTNERS FOR BRDCEP GRANT COMPONENT

Two RSPs and an RSP network; the BRSP, NRSP and RSPN, who are working directly in the 9 BRACE districts, targeting 300.000 households and 1.9 million citizens, and empowering communities and building sustainable local community institutions

DAI Human Dynamics (DAI/HD) is to facilitate the Local Government and Rural Development Department (LGRDD) to develop a Strategic Policy and Fiscal Framework for a GoB CommunityDriven Local Government and Rural Development Sector plan, that will foster an enabling environment for strengthening the capacities of local authorities to manage and to involve communities in the statutory local public sector planning, financing and implementation processes.

There are two Technical Assistance Implementing Partners. The Oxford Policy Management (OPM) Consultant is to strengthen the GoB Public Financial Management Systems.

Partnership between BRACE IPs and the Government of Balochistan

The Local Government and Rural Development Department (LGRDD) of the Government of Balochistan (GoB) is the Government lead counterpart of the BRACE Programme. Other key-Government counterpart departments are; the Planning and Development Department, the Finance Department, the Social Welfare Department, and the Women Development Department, the District Administrations and the Balochistan Rural Development Academy

Government of Balochistan Counterparts

Community-Driven (CD) Local Government & Rural Development (LG&RD)

The BRACE-TA component 1, is implemented by DAI/Human Dynamics, and we support the Government of Balochistan, to develop a Community-Driven (CD) Local Government and Rural Development (LG&RD) Policy & Fiscal Framework.

To facilitate the GoB to develop its CD-LG&RD Policy & Fiscal Framework, the BRACETA has developed several institutional and policy reforms; the Strategy and Policy Dialogue Committee (SPDC), the Sector Coordination Committee (SCC) for CDLG&RD, and a Strategic Development Partners Forum (SDPF)

Click on Resources for more information and selected policy documents and Notifications relevant to the GoB CD-LG&RD Policy & Fiscal Framework

Joint District Coordination Committee (JDDC)

JDDC Status as at October 2020

Joint District Coordination Committees (JDDCs) have been notified by their respective Deputy Commissioners (DCs) through local arrangements, andby Secretary LGRDD. The JDDC Notification needs streamlining, unification, and is to be issued by theCompetent Authority, the Planning and DevelopmentDepartment (P&DD), with the necessary planning procedures adjustments incorporated in the GoB Planning Manual. JDDCs meetings were conducted onquarterly basis in which LSO representatives,government officials, elected local council members and RSP staff participated. The forum approved identified CPIs from VDPs & UCDPs and expressed satisfactionon the progress of the Programme interventions. The forum provided an opportunity for the LSOs’representatives to review the government plans and discussed strategies improving access to public sector social services.

DISTRICT KECH

(12/02/2020) Joint District Development Committee Meeting-Kech

JDDC ToR

JDDCs were established in all BRACE Programme districts, to create a bridge and provide a platform for the Community Institutions (CI) and the District /Tehsil level Government, to interact with each other, share development plans, and finalize them according to the local needs and improve local governance through a participative planning approach in which all actors avoid duplication of efforts, build synergies, and listen to the needs and priorities of the communities.The key objective of JDDCs is to create synergies between the RSPs, Community Institutions and local administrations/departments and externally supported development investment and the JDDC has the following functions:

  • 1.

    The RSPs share the overall BRACE programme interventions plans and progress at Union Council, Tehsil and District Level. The RSPs will also share CPIs for obtaining approval from the JDDCs.

  • 2.

    The LSOs share and review VDPs and UCDPs developed by the community institutions so that the needs identified by the communities be incorporated in the government and other development organizations’ plans.

  • 3.

    The government share the Tehsil/District development plans, budget and progress.

  • 4.

    Other NGOs and Civil Society Organisations to share their development plans.

  • 5.

    Share new development initiatives, research findings and development activities of mutual interest among stakeholders.

JDDC Composition

  • 1.

    DC (Chair)

  • 2.

    DHO, DEO, AD LG, AD SWD, AD Livestock, Executive Engineers- C&W/PHE, DFO

  • 3.

    Representatives: Local Elected Bodies: LSOs; RSPs; Civil Society/DevelopmentOrganisation, as specified below, with gender equity

  • 4.

    Representatives LSOs Tehsil level and/or LSO Network (LSO-N) District Level

  • 5.

    Representatives of Government Line Departments at tehsil/district level

  • 6.

    Representatives of committees (if exists) to address children and women issues (Child Protection Committee, District Legal Empowerment Committee, etc.);

  • 7.

    Representatives of local Elected Bodies including men, women, peasants, minorities, etc.;

  • 8.

    Representative of the RSP working in the districts;

  • 9.

    Representatives of Civil society organization, work in on community development and women issues; and

  • 10.

    Representatives of local media.

DISTRICT JHALMAGSI

(26/09/2019) Joint District Development Committee Meeting-Jhal Magsi

JDDC and Community Physical Infrastructure (CPI) Schemes

A major investment, discussed by the RSPs/Communities and the Government in the JDDC, concerns the Community Physical infrastructure (CPI) Schemes: The BRACE Programme Implementation Manual (PIM) stipulates that the RSPs & Community Institutions (CIs) at the district level closely coordinate with the Local Government, District Councils, and local administration, to develop the district development strategy, that includes Community Physical Infrastructure (CPI) schemes. The proposed CPI schemes are presented in the JDDC meeting for discussion and approval. The Programme engineer of RSP’s justifies the CPI scheme in JDDC meetings also on the basis, the community relevance and need identification, and the financial, technical feasibility and surveys reports. The respective district office of RSPs provided the necessary information to the JDDC to discuss the CPIU in the JDDC meetings. The Criteria for approval of a CPI Scheme are:

  • 1.

    Relevance and urgency of the need identified.

  • 2.

    Equity considerations.

  • 3.

    Impact of the scheme.

  • 4.

    Assessment of the project to ascertain that the applicant CI can managed it.

  • 5.

    Realistic budgetary allocations.

  • 6.

    Sustainability of the project beyond the project life.

Strategy & Policy Dialogue Committee (SPDC)

The Strategy and Policy Dialogue (SPDC) Committee, was Notified by the Planning and Development Department (P&DD) on 1st March, 2018.

The composition and Terms of Reference (ToR) of the SPDC Steering Committee are as follows:

SPDC Composition

1.

Additional Chief Secretary (Development)

Chairman
2.

Secretary, Finance Department

Member
3.

Secretary (Planning), Planning and Development

Member
4.

Secretary, Local Government and Rural Development

Member
5.

Secretary, Social Welfare Development Department

Member
6.

Secretary, Women Development Department

Member
7.

CEO, BRSP/Project Director BRACE (along with EU Consultant)

Member
8.

Chief Foreign Aid (CFA),

Secretary
9.

Representative from Program partner NGOs of Community Organizations
(1 member each from UNDP, FAO, NRSP, BDN and RSP Network)

Member
10.

Any Co-opted member if deemed necessary

Member

SPDC Terms of Reference (ToR)

Sector Coordination Committee (SCC) CD-LG&RD

The SCC CD-LG&RD has 4 Working Groups (WGs) which were Notified simultaneously with the SCC-CD-LGRD by the Planning and Development Department (P&DD) on 12th February, 2020.The composition and Terms of Reference (ToR) of the 4 SCC Working Groups are outlined below

SCC CD-LG&RD – Working Group 1: Composition & ToR

WG-1: Legal/Institutional Framework

  • 1

    Additional GoB, Local Government and Rural Development Department - Chairman

  • 2

    Director General Secretary, Local Government and Rural Development Department – Member

  • 3

    Representative of Finance Department – Member

  • 4

    Representative of S&GA Department (Reg. Wing) – Member

  • 5

    Representative of Planning and Development Department – Member

  • 6

    Director, District Coordination, BRACE Technical Assistance – Member

  • 7

    In-charge Election Cell Local Government - Member

  • 8

    Representative of Civil Society (NGOs/INGOs/RSPs) - Member

  • 9

    Representative of Law Department of GoB - Member

  • 1

    Contribute to Local Government and Rural Development Sector Policy;

  • 2

    Review District Profiles;

  • 3

    Input for District Development Plan;

  • 4

    Review progress of Joint District Development Committees (JDDCs);

  • 5

    Situational analysis of the Local Government Act, 2010;

  • 6

    Propose necessary amendments to the Local Government Act, 2010;

  • 7

    Consultation with Law Department for legal input/vetting;

  • 8

    Proposal for viable interventions to maximise the output of LG&RDD; and

  • 9

    Linkages development between demand and supply (Budget).

The SCC CD-LG&RD has 4 Working Groups (WGs) which were Notified simultaneously with the SCC-CD-LGRD, by the Planning and Development Department (P&DD) on 12th February, 2020.

The composition and ToR of the SCC CD-LG&RD 4 Working Groups are outlined below

SCC CD-LG&RD – Working Group 2: Composition & ToR

WG-2: Public Finance (FM) and Public Financial management (PFM) Context:

Working Group 2 Composition

Working Group 2 Terms of Reference (ToR)

The Committee would:

SCC CD-LG&RD – Working Group 3: Composition & ToR

WG-3: Institutionalization of Community Institutions (CIs)

Working Group 3 Composition

  • Secretary, Local Government and Rural Development Department - Chairman
  • Provincial Coordinator (PC), BRACE Technical Assistance – Member
  • Representative of S&GA Department (Reg. Wing) – Member
  • Chief of Section (FA), Planning and Development Department – Member
  • Representative of Social Welfare Department – Member
  • Representative, Civil Society (NGO/INGO) – Member
  • Representatives, Local Councils (From 2 Districts)

Working Group 3 Terms of Reference (ToR)

The Committee would:

  • Suggest Legal cover under the Local Government Act;
  • Identify co-funding and co-investment for CPIs;
  • Probe the linkages between grant-in-aid (CIF, IGG, LCGC);
  • Strengthening of Public Community Partnerships;
  • Suggest actions for transparency and accountability; and
  • Validation of social mobilization activities.

SCC CD-LG&RD – Working Group 4: Composition & ToR

WG-4: Capacity Building of Local Government Sector

Working Group 4 Composition

  • 1

    Director General, Balochistan Rural Development Academy (BRDA) - Chairman.

  • 2

    Representative of BRACE TA – Member

  • 3

    Representative of Finance Department - Member

  • 4

    Representative of Planning and Development Department – Member

  • 5

    Representative of Director-General, Treasury’s Office – Member

  • 6

    Representative of Social Welfare Department - Member

  • 7

    Representative of Women Development Department – Member

  • 8

    Representative of Academia (PITE/BUITEMS/UoB) – Member

  • 9

    Representative of Civil Society (NGO/Women Representative) - Member

Working Group 4 Terms of Reference (ToR)

  • 1

    Needs assessment of BRDA;

  • 2

    BRDA Training Calendar;

  • 3

    Development of training modules keeping in mind emerging trends;

  • 4

    Action plan based on activities;

  • 5

    Monitoring and Evaluation system;

  • 6

    BRDA as a centre of excellence/autonomous body for training and research; and

  • 7

    Community sessions for awareness.

Strategic Development Partner Forum (SDPF)

Strategic Development Partners Forum (SDPF) is an envisaged high-level consultative platform above the SPDC and SCC that aims to guide collaboration by development partners with the GoB in terms of preparation of sectoral plans. The plans will be presented to the Donors’ Forum in Islamabad to solicit for funding for their funding. Once an action plan is agreed and started, the formal SPDF Notification will be pursued by the Planning and Development Department outlining its composition and Terms of Reference (ToR).

To effectively function, it has been suggested that the SPDF will require: institutional buy-in at Chief Minister level; establishment of a Strategic Support Unit in the Office of CM; a GoB PPT Organichart showing the total from SDPF down top WGs Integrated Development and Economic Growth Strategy; a GoB robust MTFF/MTBF system; an Secretariat to be set up in Pⅅ alignment between LG&RD Sector ADP and FD budgets; and active Sector Coordination Committees for each Thematic Area with clear Outcome Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and co-chaired by the donor. BRACE TA will provide support to the SPDF Secretariat.

Capacity-Building (CB) and Role BRDA

The BRDA Capacity Building (CB) Plan. BRACE TA has collaborated with the BRDA to conduct a capacity assessment. Based on the main findings and recommendations from the suspended capacity assessment, the TA will work with the BRDA to prioritize, design and implement a comprehensive Capacity Building (CB) Plan including: BRDA institutional position paper/strategic plan vision /mission statements, objectives strategies programmes and financial plan; Notification of reforms aimed at strengthening the BRDA as autonomous body; updated Rules of Business/ Constitution/ Statute and Agenda/Minutes of Progress Review Meetings chaired by Secretary LG&RDD

Research and Evidence Based Policies

Evidence-based Policy and Research: Under the BRACE Programme, Action Research will be carried out to support “Evidence based policy recommendations generated and disseminated to support the Local Development Policy Framework’. To achieve this aim, a research advisory committee (RAC) will serve as an advisory body for the research activities conducted under BRACE TA to provide feedback, comments and suggestions for raising the quality of the research work.

The RAC will also suggest pathways to make the research directly relevant to the development policy and practice in Balochistan, in particular improvement in the local governance. Research component of BRACE will be implemented by RSPN and DAI Human Dynamics and will be supported by BRSP, NRSP and Local Government and Rural Development Department, Government of Baluchistan. It is expected that the RAC and the research team of BRACE will work in close collaboration to enrich the planned research with contemporary development theory and practice. BRACE research, capacity-building and training are integral part of the BRACE policy reforms and findings will feed directly into the Policy Framework, reforms are also proposed to make the Local Government Act more responsive to the community’s participation and to Community-Driven Local Government

Implementing Partners

RSPN
NRSP
BRSP
Human Dynamics
Oxford Policy Management